PHOTO GALLERY OUT IN THE FIELD

Photos from the Field

We are lucky enough to work in some pretty special field sites around Australia whilst studying killer whales. And we get to see some amazing marine fauna, here is just a slice.

Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) seen breaching off Ningaloo Reef. Image taken under scientific permit.Killer Whale (Orcinus orca) seen at the Bremer Canyon field site. This animal is well known to the research team, and is known as ‘Split Tip’ due to her dorsal fin tear. Image taken under scientific permit.Manta ray (Manta alfredi) swimming at Ningaloo Reef.Killer whales (Orcinus orca) out at Bremer Canyon, Western Australia. Image taken under scientific permit.Taking a break from data collection and having a swim with these guys is how field work should be done! Taken out of Exmouth near Long Island.There are sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) galore out in Bremer Canyon. Image taken under scientific permit.What to do when there are no orca around…. swimming with the largest fish in the sea is always a good answer. Ningaloo Reef is one of the few places on the planet whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) appear regularly in large numbers. These massive but harmless filter feeders can grow up to 18m long. They cruise the world’s oceans in search of concentrations of plankton to feed on and their unique patterns on their back can be used to identify individual sharks.Killer whale mother and calf seen out in the field at the Bremer Canyon field site. Image taken under scientific permit.